Training in coronavirus times: how it works in practice

The coronavirus measures hit gyms hard. The door was firmly locked. But combat sports athletes do not like sitting still and soon came up with new methods to keep going.

To keep their members occupied and connected, alternative training sessions were quickly organised. Via YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Zoom: every possibility was used. And as soon as children and young people were allowed to exercise again after a few weeks, the gyms once more showed their creative strength. Outside gyms and in municipal sports parks, entire outdoor dojos sometimes appeared.

From 29 April, training at combat sports gyms resumed for children and young people. The category up to and including 12 years may exercise outdoors, in an organised setting. They do not have to keep to the one-and-a-half-metre restrictions. Young people from 13 up to and including 18 also got more room to exercise from 29 April, but the one-and-a-half-metre limit still applied to them. By now they too may make contact during training. Since 11 May, adults may train outdoors again as well, but they still have to maintain the one-and-a-half-metre distance.

If all goes well, everyone may train indoors again from 1 July. Until then we are still outdoors, and who knows, perhaps afterwards as well, because in the hot summer months exercising outdoors is often an attractive option.

How are the gyms taking on the challenges? Let us take a look around. Who knows, it may give you ideas you had not thought of yourself.

Many gyms chose to continue teaching, but by video. Richard and Channa of Sportcentrum Van Asdonck, for example.

Duran Ebren of Muaythai Academy Duran makes clever use of foam noodles in a video training session. With them he respects the 1.5-metre distance himself, while bridging it with this aid, so that head defence can be trained, for instance.

Yamato Gym from Weesp also uses pool noodles to simulate sparring.

Sem Schilt and Mike Soumokil manage to respect the one and a half metres and bridge it too.

Silent Dragon Gouda shows during outdoor training that kickboxing is for all ages, and brings in very young instructors.

Lawa Gym not only shows how to ‘roll’ solo outdoors, but immediately gives its members a mental boost with a motivating spoken word performance.

When children could finally train outdoors again in an organised setting from 29 April, the relief was great. At The Colosseum Kids in Utrecht, for example.

The boys and girls of Totally-Fit in Eindhoven show how varied an outdoor session can be. Strength, technique, balance, conditioning, coordination: the variety is enormous.

The enthusiasm was palpable at ARJ Trainingen too:

The children did not have to keep one and a half metres apart. Young people from 12 to 19 did, initially. Many gyms therefore had to mark out zones. At Fight Institute by Peter Aerts they looked around and thought: we already have those zones!

The joy on the children's faces, for instance with trainer Rashid van Exel, was a much-needed positive impulse in this uncertain time.